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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Tiger Women's Lax Falters Late in Dartmouth Loss, Aims to Rachet Up Fighting Spirit for Homestretch
By Bill Alden
In the NCAA quarterfinals last May, the Princeton University women's lacrosse team displayed a special competitive fire as it fought back from a late two-goal deficit to stun archrival Dartmouth 6-5 in overtime.
A red-eyed Dartmouth coach Amy Patton admitted afterward that Princeton's poise had tipped the balance in the hard-fought contest.
Apparently gaining some valuable lessons from that stinging defeat, the Big Green jumped out the gate this spring with 12 straight wins, climbing to No. 4 in the national rankings.
Last Saturday, third-ranked Princeton travelled up to Dartmouth for a rematch in the battle of heavyweights which has produced the Ivy League champion every year since 1994.
Fighting through a chilly rain at Scully-Fahey Field, the archrivals put on a riveting display in the first half which saw the teams head into intermission knotted at 6-6.
With the game and league title hanging in the balance, it was Dartmouth that showed poise down the stretch this time. The Big Green erupted for a 3-0 run in the first seven minutes of the first half and never relinquished the lead as it posted a sweet 12-9 win to clinch the outright Ivy crown.
In reflecting on an afternoon which ended with Big Green players donning ivy garlands in their post-game celebration, Princeton head coach Chris Sailer took her hat off to Dartmouth.
"They came out hard in the second half and got those early goals," said Sailer, whose club dropped to 10-3 overall and 5-1 in Ivy play. "We didn't make some big stops and our offense never got in a flow. We made mistakes; our youth showed. We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores on the field and they are mainly a junior-senior team."
While not making excuses, Sailer said that her team's chances took a major blow when senior All-American midfielder Elizabeth Pillion was sidelined early in the contest due to a leg injury.
"Pills is one of the top players in the country and one of the toughest competitors we've ever had," said Sailer. "They were excited to see her leave the game and that allowed them to buckle down harder on Lindsey Biles."
In Pillion's absence, Tiger freshman star Katie Lewis-Lamonica raised her game as she fired in three goals. "She was the one kid out there for us who really wanted the ball and went hard," said Sailer of Lewis-Lamonica, a former standout at the Lawrenceville School. "She really stepped up."
While Princeton is out of the Ivy title chase, it still has plenty to play for as it is almost certain to be chosen as an at-large participant in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
The Tigers, who have been to five straight Final Fours, will look to seal a tournament bid and hone their game as they play at Delaware on April 26, host Brown on April 30, and then conclude the regular season with a game at Maryland on May 4.
"We definitely want to keep improving everyday," said Sailer, who guided Princeton to national titles in 1994, 2002 and 2003. "I think we can get better in all parts of the game."
But in Sailer's view, the lesson her team learned from the loss Saturday revolves around mindset, not the technical aspects of the game.
"We need to become better fighters on the field," asserted Sailer. "Dartmouth wasn't afraid to go for it last Saturday. We have to show the passion to go for it and not worry about making mistakes. We can't be passive, we need to compete every minute."
